Guests of the Enemy
by Irovi
Summary: Nel the Pylori and Arc the Betelgeusian are just two average Pest Control workers who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. While in a hurry, Dr. Gel and Bea warp their ship right into Nel and Arc's, The Vespertine, but the clever duo manage to cajole Gel into towing them and covering the cost of repair. While onboard the CarnegieLemon, they're looked after by Bea.
1. Chapter 1

The phones had been dead for about a week but any minute, something could come up. Nel made sure to not stray too far from any of the computers or phones just in case somebody called in. She tasked Arc with the same but he was confident he'd make it wherever he was, whatever he was doing.  
When she came into the living space to occupy herself with whatever work that needed to be touched up on, Arc was busy at the table making an admittedly impressive house, or mansion, of cards.

"Hey, don't walk so quickly, you're gonna blow my house down." He chided as he carefully lowered a card into place.  
Nel made a wide turn to make sure not to destroy his work with a draft and commented, "I didn't even know we had that many cards."  
"Me neither, but every time I lost a couple or a whole deck, I got a new one. Well..found them all."  
Nel shook her head as she proceeded towards the work station but familiar sound and sensation made them both stop what they were doing.  
"Oh shit, it's really close." Nel exclaimed.

Arc stood up and looked through one of the windows into the empty space around their ship. "Are we gonna die?!"  
"Arc, quick we need-" Before she could finish, the space around them lurched and buckled and for a moment time and space faltered and bent. When normalcy returned, they were thrown back as their ship jerked with the deafening sound of metal splitting and bending.  
When things seems stable, Nel raised herself onto her hands and needs and looked over her shoulder. There, piercing the hull of their ship and by chance keeping them from being sucked into the freezing void was the shell of another ship.  
"What the-"

Arc rushed to her side as quickly as his Betelgeusian legs could carry him and he pulled her to her feet. "We gotta get out of here! If that thing moves and inch, we're dead!"  
Nel nodded to him and they scrambled through the air-tight door dividing that room from the hall where they stood. "That other ship is far into the living space which means the control deck is totaled. We should be fine in any of the untouched rooms but we can't be sure and we can't risk it. We need to get to a pod and get out of here, especially if they decide to hit and run."  
"Right!"

The sound of metal straining echoed loudly through the small ship and it jerked again. Nel and Arc made a break for the pod grabbing helmets and suits just outside it's airlock.

When they got inside, Nel fired up the control panel. The other ship was still lodged in theirs and that was made obvious by the lack of destruction being unleashed on their ship by the suction of empty space and alarms.  
"I'm going to try and hail them and see who these jokers are." Nel muttered. Arc stood behind her eager to see who had warped into them.  
After a moment of agonizing silence, a face filled their screen. As the dapper Ape man opened his mouth, Nel sat forward.  
"WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR PILOTING LICENSE? A BOX OF CEREAL?!"  
"Whoa..Nel." Arc blinked as he tried to ease her back into her seat.  
For a moment, the man appeared as though he too were going to shout but instead he said,  
"Our sincerest apologies. We were in a bit of a hurry and our destination wasn't scoped out before we warped." He looked off to the side in annoyance then back to Nel. "We'll cover everything, don't worry, but for now we really must be going."

Arc leaned in and he whispered to Nel, "Do you know who that is? That's Dr. Gel of the Gogol Empire!"  
Nel blinked then she turned her chair around so they could speak more privately. "What?! You're telling me a Gogol commander just warped his ship right into ours? I can't even wrap my head around this right now. I expect this of some idiot freight driver..not a military commander. What should we do?"  
"Well, they'll definitely be able to cover the costs of repair..and then some. This would also be pretty bad publicity. Have them tow us to the nearest planet, fix our ship, and we don't say nothing to nobody."  
Nel turned her chair and she crossed her arms. "Alright, fine, but before you go, we need a lift to a nearby planet so we can have our ship fixed."  
Gel became visibly annoyed, "We don't have time for such foolishness. We're not a towing service."  
"Yeah well you're not doing too good at your actual job. It's the least you can do..tow a little civilian ship to the nearest planet, pay for repairs and other damages..then maybe your boss won't have to know it even happened."  
"What?! Blackmail! I should just destroy you and your ship now and just be done with this! The fact I didn't leave your wreck of a ship was me being generous!"  
"The fact we haven't hailed your higher-ups is us being generous!"  
"I could disintegrate your little tin can before you could hail your god." he rumbled.  
"Yes, hello? Could you patch me through to the Gogol claims rep? Thanks."  
Nel and Gel turned their attention to the side where Arc was leaned on the panel with a phone to his ear as he idly traced the panels buttons. When he noticed them looking, he put his paw over the receiver. "Rude."  
"Aright, fine. I'll tow you to the nearest planet and cover the cost of the damage but that's it. If I hear a word of this escaping, I'll hunt you down and I'll tow you into a sun."  
"Deal. Our ship is too unstable to stay in and there's no need to waste fuel using this pod so if you'd kindly beam us up?"  
Gel grumbled loudly but said nothing. The screen went black and the two were quiet. Arc stood beside Nel, the phone having been hung up, and the two were unsure of what they were supposed to do then.  
"I guess we could go to the warp pad and maybe..see if they'll beam us up?" Arc shrugged.  
"Right. The pad in the control room is obviously out of the question so let's quickly get to the auxiliary pad in the back. Put your stuff on just in case the damage is worse than we'd thought."  
The two donned their suits and helmets then marched swiftly to down the corridor to the back part of the ship. Arc stood on the pad while Nel opened the pad to incoming beam requests. For a minute it seemed they would just remain in their ship as they were pulled along but then a signal came in and Nel approved it. Quickly she joined Arc and quicker they were teleported out of their ship.

When they arrived in the other ship, the room they were in was quiet and empty. They stood on the pad for moment then they stepped down. It wasn't immediately obvious what was expected of them so they remained side by side and took in their surroundings with an air of unease. When an airlock swooshed open, Nel and Arc both instinctively, but covertly, reached for their concealed guns.  
They looked on as a man slightly taller than Nel approached. "Good, you made it one piece." He began making more of an observation than a greeting. "We were starting to think you got sucked out into space. Follow me, please."  
Nel and Arc looked to each other and exchanged queer expressions. "Hey Nel, is he-" Arc began but Nel started forward after their escort and cut him off. "Let's go. The sooner this is done, the better."

Arc hurried after her and gave her a knowing smirk. "You were thinking it too." He murmured to her as they kept several feet behind their escort.  
"Right now, I'm thinking I'm gonna pluck out your whiskers in your sleep if you don't be quiet. We don't know anything about these guys so keep your guard up, will ya?"  
Suddenly their escort peered over his shoulder at them. "You needn't worry. We've got bigger fish to fry. If he wanted you dead, you would be already." he stated matter-of-factly. "So you can let go of your guns now."  
Again the two exchanged looks, this time they appeared more like children who had been caught doing something they shouldn't have been and they tried their best to maintain a calm facade.  
They walked down a long corridor for a few minutes in silence then he stopped in front of a wide door gesturing to it. "Please remain in here for the duration of the trip. I'll come get you when it's time to go."  
Arc was the first to enter the room but he kept his eyes on their escort as he passed by. Nel followed suit as she rose a brow at the annoyingly calm man. Once inside, they paused to get a look at their surroundings and it didn't seem to be much more than a simple break-room type area.  
"Before I go-"He began. Nel and Arc faced him and he rose his hand, palm up. "Your weapons?"  
Arc crossed his arms and rose a brow. "As if. We'd be totally defenseless if you guys decide to pull something funny."  
"If we intended on it, wouldn't that be the point?"  
"Well I'm sure you guys could handle us if you have something up your sleeve. Just let us have this small piece of security, won't ya?" Arc continued.  
Their escorts expression became more serious and he withdrew a gun of his own. "I can pull this trigger faster than either of you can withdraw your guns. I can promise that. I'm also a pretty good shot. Now I won't ask again, hand over your weapons."  
Arc looked over at Nel who looked from him to their escort. "Fine. Do as he says Arc. It's not worth complications."  
Begrudgingly, Arc grunted and withdrew his gun. Nel did the same and both kept their eyes on him.  
"Kick them over."

Arc sighed loudly but he did as he was told. The man bent and grabbed it, gun still poised on Nel. "You too. I don't have all day." After a moment, glaring, Nel slowly approached him. "I said kick it over." He repeated, his gun clicking.  
Nel continued to slowly walk over then she lifted her gun but the barrel remained pointed to the ground. He hesitated but grabbed it though Nel didn't immediately relent.  
"We'd better get these back." She growled followed by something Arc couldn't quiet understand. The man jerked the gun out of her hand and watched her retreat beside Arc before lowering his gun. For a moment he leered at them then he turned and silently left.  
"Holy shit Nel." Arc exhaled then he faced her. "Are you NUTS?!"  
She shook her head and smirked. "No. He wouldn't shoot his own kind. We're too rare. Besides, a dead body is a lot worse than a totaled ship."  
She turned away from Arc and took a seat on a lone couch with her arms crossed. Arc was dumbfounded for a moment but then he smirked lopsided and flopped down beside her. "I knew it."

For hours the two sat in the empty room left to entertain themselves and left with no idea of what was going on.  
Arc helped himself to the snack and drink machines and they chattered boredly. As Arc downed another nutty bar, Nel was stretched out on the couch against the arm rest with her cell phone in hand. The airlock swooshed open and the man stood before them again.  
"This is going to take longer than expected." he stated simply. Nel sat up and Arc choked down his mouthful.  
"What? Why?" He asked visibly agitated.  
The man looked at him for a moment, not amused by the Betelgeusian with chocolate around his mouth. "Don't worry about that. I've set up accommodations for the two of you. We should be at the nearest planet in a few days. In the mean time, you are not to leave your rooms."  
Nel swung her legs to the floor and she stood. "What happened? Where's our ship? We have things to do too you know."  
"Your ship is fine. Well..as fine as it was when this all began anyway. We would have simply warped to the nearest planet but..for reasons that aren't any of your business, we can't do that right now so you'll have to just chill out for a little while."  
"Where are our guns?" Nel demanded.  
"Oh, those. You won't be getting them back until we've dropped you off. Sorry." He said rather unconvincingly.  
"Let's just go. I'm tired." Nel sighed. The man gestured for them to follow then he began down the hall.

After a few moments of silent walking, Nel quickened her pace to walk side by side with their escort, "What's your name anyway. Might as well known in case we need to summon you or something."  
He gave her a somewhat annoyed look, "I'm not a butler. You'll have what you need in the rooms." He looked over his shoulder back at Arc, "Including bathrooms." he said as he made a circular motion around his mouth. Arc blinked then he rubbed furiously at the chocolate that marked his fur. "It's Bea by the way. I don't imagine we'll be seeing a lot of each other though so it doesn't really matter."  
Nel was quiet for a moment but as they neared a corner she spoke up, "Well, I'm Nel and that's Arc. We were just a couple of Pest Control workers until you guys parked your ship in ours."  
"I'm sure your parents are proud." he responded fairly blase.  
"Pft. More than yours I'm sure. Working for the Gogol Empire, they must have been excited to hear about that. Though kids who grow up to work for the Gogol Empire don't usually have such great parents."  
He stopped suddenly and for a moment she thought he was going to rip her one but he just gestured to the door beside him. "This is it. Stay in here unless otherwise instructed." He said curtly then began to turn as Arc caught up. Mid-turn he added,"My parents are dead." then he looked as though were were going to add something else but he just turned away and silently left them again.  
"Whoa, what did I miss?"  
Nel couldn't force herself to open her mouth and speak until Bea had turned the corner and was out of sight. "Oh..just me cramming my foot into my stomach." She said quietly. "Er, let's get inside. Maybe we can catch some Z's and get to the planet sooner than planned."

A few hours after they arrived and after Arc had crashed, Nel sat at the table below the window and stared into the cosmos. A small lamp above the kitchenette sink was the only thing that illuminated the main room and the only sound to be heard was Arc's snoring from the bedroom. In the distance, a flicker of light streaked then vanished. Nel sighed and looked into the bare room. It was then she realized that she was hungry but the room obviously wouldn't be stocked.

"Shit..guess I gotta run to that room we were in earlier. I remember where it is; could probably get in and out without being detected." She thought to herself.  
She stood and before leaving, she cracked the door open to Arc's room to find him in a deep asleep in a ball on his own bed. He stirred only to nestle his face into his beanie which had fallen off in his sleep. Once his snoring resumed, she pulled the door against the frame but she didn't shut it.  
Nel stood at the door separating her from the corridor for a moment and she considered whether or not she was really hungry enough to sneak around a Gogol commander's ship, especially with the shifty little nerd running around. The gurgle in her gut assured her that she was. It was just a harmless snack run after all.

She poked her head out as if afraid somebody would be standing watch, but there was no one. She stepped into the corridor and listened for a moment hearing nothing but the buzzing of lights and distant roar of machinery. Deeming it safe, she quietly trecked back the way they came to the room they were originally kept. Nel kept her ears peeled for the slightest sound of footsteps or speech but it was completely silent. When she reached the right hall, the correct door eluded her. Which one had it been? She stood before the first door she thought to be correct but it didn't open. She repeated this with the next and again, nothing happened. She was beginning to think maybe they automatically locked and could be opened with a proximity device their escort had but the third door swooshed right open.  
Nel jumped in her skin and her breath caught when she saw who was sitting at the table. He looked up at her and furrowed his brow. "I thought I told you to stay in the room."  
Nel fumbled with her words for a moment then she managed to respond, "Well there was nothing to eat and watching Arc stuff his face earlier killed my appetite while I was in here."  
He just looked to her for a moment then turned his attention back to where it was which was through the window. She realized that they had the same view and that they were possibly looking at the same thing minutes ago. Had he seen the shooting star too?  
Taking his silence as permission to proceed, she stepped into the room and approached the machine. A curt chuckle escaped her and she could hear Bea shift behind her. She could almost see his inquisitive brow raise.  
"Arc ate so much earlier, I'm surprised there's anything left in here." She explained without turning. He was silent and it made her wonder if he'd even cared or heard her chuckle to begin with. She inserted the coins, made her selection and grabbed the trail mix then turned. The only place to sit was at the table. The couch would have been awkward, too obvious that she was keeping her distance.  
She sat across from him as he continued to gaze out the window with his hand around his mug of partially drunken coffee. As quietly as she could, she opened the package but the crinkling plastic was embarrassingly loud in the silence. She popped a couple of peanuts into her mouth and chewed. The silence between then was becoming enormous and unbearable.  
Her mouth uttered the first thing her mind came up with without first consulting her. "I'm sorry about earlier. What I said." She looked at him expectantly but he only waved it off. She couldn't tell if he was dismissing her apology or if he was telling her to just forget it. Blushing, she began to sort her trail mix to try and take her mind off of it.  
Suddenly she heard a soft sound like a scoff. She looked up and found him looking to her, amused. "What?" she asked a bit more curtly than she meant.  
"Nothing, it's just, you're sorting out your trail mix."  
She slipped a colored candy into her mouth, "Yeah so?"  
"Thought I was the only one who did that." He said then he sipped from his mug as he peered at her from over the rim.  
Nel snickered, "Yeah, you're the only person in the whole universe who sorts out their trail mix."  
"You know what I mean."  
The two shared wry smirks and became quiet again. She picked at her piles, the silence making her uncomfortable which made her consume the trail mix quicker than she'd planned. It dawned on her that she could have just went back to the room and things became more awkward for her. She wondered what he thought of her electing to stay there instead of go back.  
"So, what brings you down here." She asked before she realized it.  
Bea shrugged a shoulder. "Just this. The coffee I mean. Things are slow right now so-"  
She nodded. "Let me tell you about slow. We haven't had a call in about a week."  
"Oh right, you guys are pest control."  
She nodded again and drove a little colored candy around on the table with the tip of her finger while she rested her cheek in the other hand. "Ye-up. Exciting stuff." She sighed.  
"I would think so. Chasing and trapping dangerous vermin or whatever."  
Nel looked up, brows raised. "Well, yeah I guess so. It's mostly little stuff but every now and then we get to wrassle something exciting. So, what exactly do you do? I mean..if it's 'not any of my business'"  
He smirked lopsidedly, "Nothing terribly exciting. Build machines of varying sorts, help my boss with some things. Kind of his right-hand-man I suppose."  
"Ah, right hand man of a Gogol Commander. That sounds pretty exciting if you ask me."  
"It has it's days."  
The two were quiet again as Nel idly tapped a raisin from the pile. Suddenly Bea picked up a couple and popped them into his mouth. She snirked, "Ew."  
"What? They're basically concentrated raisins."  
"Hn, well help yourself. I can't stand them unless they're covered in chocolate."  
He chewed for a moment then asked, "Why not eat them with the chocolate candies then?"  
Nel blinked. "Oh, I..I don't know. That never actually occurred to me."  
He shifted in his seat facing her more. "Guess that's why I'm an engineer and you're in Pest control."  
She flicked a raisin at him and it plopped into his coffee. "Oh! My bad. I wasn't aiming for your coffee-"  
"I don't like raisins that much. Hn..sank like a rock. I should be getting back anyway."  
Nel bit her bottom lip blushing from guilt and embarrassment but as he stood, he offered a slight grin as if to assure her that it really wasn't a big deal.  
She stood too. "Same. If Arc wakes up and I'm not there, who knows what he'll do."  
She walked to the bin to toss out the wrapper and followed behind Bea as he vacated the room. The two went opposite ways but he suddenly called down the hall to her. "Sorry."  
Nel stopped then turned "Huh?"  
"I wasn't exactly hospital when you guys showed up."  
"O-oh." She shrugged a shoulder. "It's whatever. I yelled at your boss so I guess we're even."  
They laughed stiffly then they parted ways in awkward silence.  
When Nel returned, Arc was still sound asleep. She crawled into her bed and pulled the blanket over herself instead of crawling beneath them. The events of the last hour replayed in her head over and over and she was sure she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. She couldn't stop thinking about him.


	2. Chapter 2

When Nel woke, Arc wasn't in his bed. Upon realizing this, she shot up and looked around. She listened but there was nothing. Without thinking, she threw the blankets aside and leaped out of bed to the door and threw it open. The main area was also empty making her pulse quicken and her heart thud against her ribcage.  
"Shit shit shit! Where is he?!"  
Before launching herself into the belly of the ship, she tried to calm herself so she could think clearly but all she could think about is Arc being imprisoned, tortured or maybe even dead. She pressed her fingers into the sides of her face and squealed in panic. They were just a couple of Pest control workers nobody would miss or realize was gone.  
Nel finally decided that she'd have look for Arc herself or find somebody and demand to know what they did with him. The first person she thought of was Bea and she balled her fists.  
"Sneaky little smugfag acting so calm!" She fumed to herself as she ran to the door. It parted with the same patient swoosh and she charged out and back down where they'd first come. She hadn't looked where she was going so she immediately crashed into somebody. Her first thought that it was Arc and her chest swelled but as she sat up on the ground and found Bea standing there brushing coffee from his coat, she became agitated again and he leaped to her feet. She grabbed the lapels of his coat and jerked him forward. Coffee sloshed from his cup and he looked to his mug with annoyance.  
"Where's Arc? What did you do with him?!" she demanded, tempted to smack that stupid thing from his hand.  
He looked at Nel all the while remaining irritatingly calm. "Nothing. He's in the cafeteria. You guys don't follow directions very well, do you?"  
Nel released him and blinked then she stepped back with a deep blush. Bea looked into his mug. "I'll show you the way. I need more coffee now anyway. And a clean coat."  
"S-sorry I just, He means a lot to me and I don't know you guys."  
"All the more reason to not grab anybody and jerk us around." He responded crassly.  
Nel was quiet, speechless by her own embarrassment as she followed him down the corridor. She wanted to try and apologize again but the tension between them was nearly tangible so she remained quiet. The walk to the cafeteria was a long one which made the silence even more awful. As they neared, she could smell the food and hear the clatter of trays and people. Suddenly she became a bit anxious not knowing what to expect, what she would see. When they rounded the corner, the hall opened up into a very large room not different from most regular cafeterias. She almost immediately spotted Arc stuffing his face as he spoke animatedly to, but of course, the Ape man they spoke to back on their own ship.  
"Oh god." Nel groaned as she covered her face with one hand. She was tempted to bail and run back to the room but Arc saw her and waved.  
"Hey Nel! About time you got up!"  
Bea and Nel stopped at the table and she could feel Gels eyes boring into her. She tried not to meet his gaze but her effort was probably obvious.  
"So, we meet in person at last." Gel seemed to boom.  
Nel looked up at him and waved meagerly. "Hey. Uh, about that blackmailing thing-"  
"No need to explain. Your friend here already covered that. In fact, he's covered a variety of things." He said as he leered at the mussed up table.  
"I can only imagine what Arc had to say about that." Nel responded flatly, her scrutinizing gaze falling upon the oblivious Betelgeusian.  
"I wanted to inform you in person that we're halfway to the planet and that your ship is being well observed throughout the haul. I trust Bea has been helpful?" He continued looking over to his comparatively tiny side kick. "Bea, what on Earth did you do?"  
Nel was quick to step in, "Oh, that was me. I sort of..ran into him when I ran out to search for Arc." She laughed stifly then Bea piped in.  
"Let's not forget the throttling. That's probably where most of the coffee went."  
"Damn, Nel. Is that any way to treat your host?" Arc asked after swallowing a mouthful.  
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Hey you-"  
"Why don't you grab something to eat. You must be famished." Gel interrupted at he stood up. "I must be going. Things to tend to. Bea, clean yourself up and join me in the control bay."  
He turned and left, cape fluttering dramatically and Bea looked from him to the duo. "Since I can't trust you to listen to orders, get what you need and return to your room. I'll be locking the door to keep you out of trouble."  
"What?!" Arc nearly shouted then he coughed.  
Nel slapped Arc on the back until he waved her off then she looked to Bea. "You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?"  
"Oh, like nearly running me over and yanking me around by my jacket?"  
She sighed loudly, "Look, I'm sorry okay? Arc's like my brother and you took our guns and we're on a Gogol military ship. Can you really say I'm completely at fault here? We'll stay in the room. You don't need to lock us in." she pleaded. Bea's expression remained as that of irritation and he was quiet. It seemed likely he would simply leave them and carry out his plan. She sighed softly and offered a meek smile. "We'll stay out of trouble, I promise. You..maybe wanna show me where the coffee machine is?"  
He tapped his thumb on the handle of his mug then looked at Arc. "It's him I'm worried about."He finally said.  
"Hey-"  
"He'll behave. If not-"She turned, "I'll burn all of his yaoi manga."  
Arc blinked then blushed. "Nel shhh! Heh she means my novels. Er..my hetero novels. About hetero people doing like..regular stuff." he flustered.  
For a moment Bea just looked at him, single brow raised. His silence and his dismissive turning away from Arc was a very clear 'I don't really care.'. He stopped mid turn to address Nel. "It's this way."  
Before she followed, she gave the Arc the 'I'm watching you' gesture then she jogged to catch up to Bea. It seemed all the progress they made the night before was lost. But progress to what exactly?  
"Bea, I'm truly sorry. I don't mean to be obnoxious."  
"What are you apologizing for? After this we'll never see each other again. Does it matter how we feel about each other?"  
Nel almost tripped over her foot and her breath hitched almost audibly. For some reason that stung worse than it should have.  
"I think it does." She challenged. "Why would anybody want to ever leave anything on a sour note regardless of whether they'll meet again?"  
"Because it doesn't make any difference to anything."  
"It does to me."  
She didn't realize they were at the machines until they stopped and he began to make himself another cup. He was quiet and didn't respond to her.  
With the machines sitting in a somewhat closed off area, she spoke a little more openly.  
"I can't just leave things on a bad note. I don't care if I never see somebody again, I still want to leave more people liking me than not. I can't just brush things off like you can."  
"Ch. You don't know me." He smirked.  
"You're right. I don't. Maybe that's why I keep making these mistakes. But please don't just brush them off. It might not matter to you but it does to me. I don't want you to dislike me even if we don't ever meet again."  
He placed the carafe back onto the hot plate, "It's not a big deal."  
"Then why are you being so...I dunno..this?"  
"Nel-"He started, the sound of her name on his lips made her chest tense. She waited eagerly for his response, something to show that maybe he did care.  
"You're blocking the sugar."  
She blinked as his words sank in. Once she realized what he said, she looked to her right then she shuffled back a step or two. He continued to prepare his mug and was just quiet.  
"Forget it." she sighed. "I don't want to remember you like this but you're leaving me with no choice. But you don't care." She turned, breakfast forgotten. She only wanted to return to the room and maybe get more sleep or shower or something.  
"Wait-" She thought she was hearing things but then she heard him continue, "Nel, I just-" He placed his cup down and exhaled shortly. "It's not that I don't care, I just-" He gestured vaguely but nothing was coming to him. She made a confused face unable to tell what it was he was getting at. Then he looked down at his cup and rubbed the back of his neck. She didn't notice it at first but when she did, she too blushed.  
She put her hand on the tray rail and looked at it as she spoke somewhat softly. "I get it. It's hard. You're working for the Gogol military. Tomorrow isn't a promise."  
When she looked up at him, his brow was creased. He looked as though he had a million things he wanted to say, but couldn't. "I wish it were that easy."  
"I'm sorry, Bea. It should have been obvious this whole time. It's difficult in your line of work, isn't it?"  
"Yes, and you're not making it any easier." he laughed. She looked up with a slight smile then back at her hand deciding how to end it with as little awkwardness as she could. From her peripheral she saw his hand glide hesitantly along the tray rail and she looked up to find him inches from her.  
She opened her mouth to ask, to be sure, so avoid making another mistake, but he closed the space between them with an indecisive swiftness.  
She forced herself not to think though it was hard not to, especially when his pressing lips dared to part hers and his hand slid over her tentative fingers. When they parted, she feared the sound could be heard above the murmur of small talk, the clanking of trays and the hiss and hum of machines. She looked down at the giant brown coffee stain on his coat.  
"You're making it worse." she laughed.  
He seemed to not realize what she meant but he remembered what he'd said and he too laughed slightly. "I thought I could just ignore it and it wouldn't happen. I keep forgetting the universe is more powerful than me."  
They fell quiet until Nel peered up at him, "I should probably get back. Arc is probably wondering where I am. Probably already done eating and ready to get back."  
"Probably." he smirked.  
She wasn't sure if he was agreeing, poking fun at her excessive use of the word probably, or both, but regardless, a soft giggle escaped her and she clapped her hand over her mouth.  
"Dr. Gel is probably wondering where I am too."  
"Probably." She took a step back and grabbed onto her upper arm as she looked to the side at another machine.  
"I'll keep you updated. And..I won't lock you guys in."  
She looked up at him, head tilted. "Hm, what changed your mind?"  
Bea grabbed his mug and stirred it stopping as he passed by, "I can change it again you know." He teased then he continued on.  
Nel turned to watch him go admiring his perfectly nonchalant gait as he left as if nothing happened. For a moment she stood and realizing what just happened, she had to physically stop herself from squealing or something of the sort. She quickly grabbed a cup of cappuccino then hurried back to where Arc was.  
"Sheesh what took you so long? Just that one cup? You guys were gone so long I thought you might have started making out or something."  
Nel's eyes got big. Had he seen? Was this his way of telling her? Judging by his response, he really was just kidding but now he definitely knew.  
"No way. How the hell did you guys go from him wanting to lock us in our room to making out?"  
"Shh! It wasn't making out! I'll..tell you when we get back. C'mon let's clean up."  
Arc nodded and he swept his arm over the table to gather the items onto the tray for dumping. "You're not getting anything?"  
"Oh..er..yeah let me do that real quick."  
"I'll wait. Also, try not to make out with anybody or we might not make it back." Nel turned and signaled for him to shut up. "Hey wait, are we still gonna be locked in?"


	3. Chapter 3

From the window in their temporary lodging they could see the planet in the near distance.  
"Well, guess this is it." Arc sighed then he backed away from the window to flop into one of the dining chairs. Nel turned to face him and she kept her hand on the sill.  
"Yeah, I guess so." She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall while she continued to gaze out into the empty expanse surrounding them.  
Arc placed his chin on his hand, "Think you're ever gonna see him again?"  
A brief laugh escaped her and she shook her head once. "Who knows. I won't get my hopes up though."  
"Aaah so you like him, huh?"  
Nel joined him at the table then kicked her boots up on it. "Well I don't make a habit of letting guys I don't like kiss me."  
"Well maybe you were too stunned to react?"  
"Nah. He's..annoying but..there's something about him. Don't ask what it is; I'm still trying to figure it out."  
Arc gave her a lopsided smirk. "HE's the annoying one? I'm sure he'd beg to differ."  
"Yeah well, he came onto me, let me remind you."  
The two were quiet until Arc turned to look at her. "What happened anyway? Things took kind of a hair-pin turn."  
She laughed, a bit nervously, and looked off to the side with a blush. "I really have no idea. Despite everything, somehow he got to the point of wanting to kiss me, and despite everything, I let him." she shrugged and added just above a mutter, "well I might have given in too."  
He tilted his head and his brow furrowed. "Okay, I'm not trying to be a total downer but, I'm just asking this for your sake." he began. Nel brought her feet down from the table top and she loosely crossed her arms. "You don't think maybe..he was just excited to see somebody of his own kind, do you?"  
She blinked then shrugged and again she looked off to the side. "I dunno. That's a good question. Maybe he was. Either way it happened and well, I liked it. I'm glad. So what if he as just excited to find somebody of his own kind? Is that bad?"  
"Not necessarily. I just wouldn't look too deep into it or get your hopes up. Just in case."  
Nel sighed. "Yeah. You're right. Might have just been a heat of the moment kind of thing too. But if we do meet up again, well, I wouldn't be opposed to taking things further."  
"Nel, you don't know anything about that guy! Just that he works for the Gogol Empire, his parents are dead and he's a snerky little nerd."  
"Well maybe we could get to know each other more?"  
"Or maybe he just wanted some?"  
"Well all he got was a kiss." she retorted with a leer.  
"And next time he might get more and then what?"  
Nel sighed and rose her arms up in a shrug. "Who cares? Maybe we keep seeing each other, maybe we just have a fling. Why does it matter?"  
"Because, guys are pigs and I don't want you to invest in him more than what he's worth or more than what he's going to give!"  
"What makes you think I'm gonna be the one to pour myself into it? Maybe all I want is a fling. Maybe he's the one who wants more? He came onto me, remember?"  
"I just don't want to see you get hurt. I know what it's like to find somebody who's your own kind who you like and I know what it's like when they just wanna hit it and quit it or when they just don't want anything."  
"Well he wants something. I just don't know how much of it."  
Arc scoffed. "Probably all of it."  
"Don't forget that you're a guy too."  
"Yeah but I'm not a typical guy."  
"Of course not. Neither is your list of contacts."  
Arc blushed and leered at her and she laughed. Unable to hold his facade, he too laughed then exhaled loudly.  
"Well, if you wanna pursue it then go for it. You're a grown woman."  
Nel leaned to rest her cheek in her hand. "Assuming I could. We all travel all of the time. He probably gets zero say in where they go. We'd have to come to him but even then, he's probably stuck in here 24/7." She sighed wistfully. "Well, if I can't actually pursue it, at least I have something to work with in my imagination.""  
"Ew Nel, that's weird."  
"Not like that, perv. I mean at least I can daydream about it and a lot of times, daydreams are so much better than real life."  
"Oh boy, we're gonna have to get you to a bar and find you a guy or else you'll be stuck on what's-his-face and you'll never even give anybody else a shot. Before you know it, your gyno will have to use a pry-bar just to do their job."  
Nel burst out laughing but she managed to choke out a response, "Arc, you're horrible. And you know damn well I have my own means. I don't need a guy..I just..prefer to have one."  
Arc made a waving motion, "You and me both. Speaking of, I was serious about hitting up a bar. Sitting around this ship with you and what's-his-face gushing hormones has given me mamor cabin fever."  
"Alright alright. When we get back we can go. After we take care of our duties."  
"Deal."

The geographical features of the planet could be clearly defined through the window by the time the airlock swooshed open again. Nel looked up from some old novel she found under the kitchen sink and Arc poked his head out of the bedroom to see who had come in. Bea stood in the entryway with his hands behind his back. "We've reached the outerlimits of the planet. We've hailed a towing service and they'll be here shortly to take your ship the rest of the way to the surface. and I must remain on the ship but if you give them this paper, you should have no trouble paying for the services." he said then he rose his hand to hold a slip of paper out. Arc and Nel exchanged weary looks before Nel stepped forward and took it from him. She dared not look at his face until after she'd taken the slip from him. They both quickly looked off to the side then he continued. "If there's an issue, contact the number at the bottom of the slip. I'll escort the two of you to the warp pad and from there you'll be transferred into the tow-ship."  
Nel unfolded the paper to view it's contents and her eyes fell on the number at the very bottom. It didn't look like a ship port number but rather a cell number. Not that she wanted to question it, but before she could, Bea was already turning to lead them out. Nel folded the paper and tucked it into her pocket and she glanced behind her to make sure Arc was following. The two matched each others paces while keeping a few paces behind Bea. Once again, the walk was quiet and awkward.  
"So uh..thanks for everything." Nel suddenly said.  
"You didn't really give us much of an option." Bea pointed out without turning to look at either of them.  
"Oh c'mon. If you guys really wanted to, you could have just made us disappear."  
Bea was quiet and she felt her body tense. She wondered if his silence was him confirming that they could have and would have and that they wanted to but for whatever reason didn't. She didn't pry mostly in fear that their reason wouldn't be a very reassuring one. Bea suddenly looked over his shoulder,  
"It works to our advantage to have you two alive." He looked forward again. Nel and Arc looked to each other with somewhat frightened expressions but were quiet.  
Within minutes they arrived at the room where they had first come in. Bea stayed by the door and gestured for them to proceed onwards. "They're awaiting your arrival."  
Arc nudged Nel gently then he started off towards the pad with his hands behind his neck. Nel turned to follow suit but she stopped mid-turn.  
"I uh-if uhm.." she sighed and struggled to find the right words.  
"That's my cell number at the bottom. Even if everything goes smoothly, keep it."  
Nel blinked but she managed to get her brain to function just enough for her to offer a smile. "I will." she blushed as she brushed her bangs from her face. "I'd better get going. If I keep them waiting too long they might ding my ship on the way down or something." She turned, her eyes lingering on Bea who looked back to her with his usual nonchalant manner. She got halfway to the pad when he called to them.  
"Oh, I nearly forgot. Your guns."  
Arc and Nel laughed awkwardly then met him halfway to retrieve their weapons. Arc gave his a spin then holstered it making a few sound effects with his mouth before he turned to scoot back to the pad. Nel grabbed the handle of her gun and moved to take it but Bea didn't let go. She looked up at him, confused, but then he leaned in towards her. Nel couldn't stifle a slight giggle before she met him halfway. After a long moment, they parted and Nel couldn't help but avert her gaze afraid she might embarass herself if she looked him in the eyes or even his face. As she turned she said, "See Ya SpaceCowboy."  
She jogged onto the pad beside Arc who muttered. "Space Cowboy? Nel that was so lame."  
"Sh. I know just..play it off." She muttered back.  
The two of them faced forward and began to phase out. In her last moments on the ship, she locked eyes with him but she was gone before either could twitch a muscle.

"Oh look, we've got messages!" Arc announced as the two entered the control bay. He ran to the panel and hit the button then he leaned against it as they listened to what they'd missed.  
As the message rang out through the bay, both looked off into space without hearing a single word. Even after the message ended, they continued to stare into nothing and muse over the events of the past day or more. After what felt like many minutes, Arc turned his head to look to Nel. "Hey, so we gonna hit the bar or what?"  
Nel blinked as she returned from la-la land and she stood up. "I guess. We still have to fly all the way back home. I'm sure an hour or two pit stop won't make too much of a difference."  
Arc nodded once decisively then he trotted over to his seat. Nel followed suit and the both buckled in and prepared to take off.  
"How long should I wait before texting him?"  
"Give it a day or two."


End file.
